Home » Location » Barbershop » Rebecca (Part 1)

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“You’re lucky” opined Rebecca’s best friend Stephanie as Rebecca combed Stephanie’s shoulder length blond hair. “Sixty dollars a week all summer and just for looking after 2 nine year old boys while their mothers are at work.”

“Yea, I guess it is a pretty good deal. My little brother Billy is pretty easy to look after and Joey’s over here all the time anyway. So I guess it’s not so bad having him at the house since his being there doubles my pay” said Rebecca as she finished combing Stephanie’s hair. “Ok, I’m finished.”

“Ok, let swap places” And Rebecca and Stephanie swapped places. “I tried to get the baby sitter certification, but you can’t even enroll until you’re 15. I tried to tell the instructor I was a very mature 14, but I just turned 14 so she didn’t buy that.” Stephanie continued combing Rebecca’s hair. Rebecca’s hair was even longer than Stephanie’s coming past her shoulder blades.

“Stephanie are you staying for supper tonight?” called Rebecca’s Mom.

“No mam, I got to get home, but thanks for invitation”, replied Stephanie as she was preparing to leave. “She you tomorrow at school.”

“Rebecca, you need to set the table for dinner” called Rebecca’ Mom, Janet.

“Is Joey staying for dinner?”

“Yes” came a reply from Billy’s room. “I didn’t need to ask that” muttered Rebecca under her breathe.

“You need to set an extra place, Joey’s Mom is joining us for dinner” called Rebecca’s Mom Janet.

Finally, the table was prepared and everyone gathered for diner. Janet, Rebecca’s and Billy’s Mom, was an attractive woman in her mid-thirties with light brown hair that came mid way between her chin and shoulders. Ms. Blake, Joey’s Mom, also in her mid thirties with her blond hair cut in bob. Billy and Joey could have been twins with their mop of blond hair with cute little bangs reaching to past their eyebrows. Then there was Rebecca, beautiful Rebecca, with long beautiful hair past her shoulder blades.

“You know Rebecca, you will have total responsibility for the boys this summer. We are holding you responsible. And boys” continued Janet as she turned to two towheaded youngsters. “You will have to obey Becky.”

“Yes” added Joey’s Mom. “We don’t want to hear of any misbehaving. If Becky tells you to do something, do it. If you think what she’s telling you is wrong, you can take it up with us later. We don’t want you sassing or talking back to Rebecca. Is that understood?”

Both boys shook their heads yes.

It was only two weeks until school was out, but seemed like the longest two weeks of Rebecca’s. She couldn’t to start earning money. It was hard to fathom how money much she would have to start high school with if she could only save a good part of her pay.

Finally summer arrived and to Rebecca’s surprise she was bored. The boys didn’t give her any problem. All she had to do was feed them breakfast and lunch and let them play on their own. If it had not been for Stephanie coming over every day, she would have gone crazy with boredom. Not only did she have an enjoyable time with Stephanie there, but Stephanie also help with the meals and with looking after the boys. Rebecca pondered paying Stephanie a little for her help. Maybe she’d give her a little money at the end of summer. It would be a surprise.

Everything was going so smoothly until her Mom said the boys need haircuts and that Rebecca should take them to the barbershop.

“But Mom, it’s so embarrassing. Can’t you and Joey’s Mom take them?” pleaded Rebecca.

“We can but that’s why we are paying you so well. After working all day we just don’t have time. So if you want to continue to get paid for this job…. Or I could put both you and Billy in day care.”

“Oh no Mom, I’ll do it. I’ll take them tomorrow, “shot back Rebecca.

“That’s better. Joey’s Mom says he can get a flattop if he wants, but I just want Billy to get a trim”

The morning Stephanie arrived before Joey’s Mom dropped him. “I’ve got to that the boys to the barbershop today” groaned Rebecca. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to come.”

“That’s no problem. I don’t mind”

At that moment Joey came bouncing in door, as usual, with out knocking. “We’re going to the barbershop today” explained an excited Billy. “Oh boy! I can get the flattop I’ve wanted to get. Mom promised me I could” exuded Joey. “Me too! Me too!” replied an excited Billy.

The boys could wait to finish breakfast and get on their way to the barbershop. “And I thought girls got excited about the beauty” joked Stephanie as the group trotted off to the barbershop. Finally the barber pole was in sight and finally they arrived in the shop. Rebecca and Stephanie were winded, but the two 9 years were overflowing with excitement. There was only one barber, but the boys were able to agree for Joey to get his haircut first.

Joey mounted the chair and sat down. The barber, friendly man in his early thirties, wrapped paper tissue around his neck and shock out a cap and placed over Joey. Only a small head with a mop of blond hair pocked out. “So how do you it cut today?” asked the barber.

“A number 4 flattop with number 2 tapered sides” replied Joey. His quick answer surprised everyone. This kid knew his haircuts. Without hesitation, the barber place a number 4 guard on the clippers and started at the front mowing his massive mop away. Before long Joey looked like porcupine with half inch blond hair sticking out all around his head. The barber then changed to a number 2 guard and clipped the sides to one fourth inch. He then took off the guard and worked the comb and the clippers tapering side hair from zero to one fourth inch, Then the barber took some hot lather, rubber it around the edge of Joey hair line and trimmed the edge of the hairline with a safety razor. When the haircut was finished, the barber turned Joey toward the mirror. A big smile came over Joey face. “You like it?” asked the barber. “It fantastic!” replied Joey as he rubbed his hands over his newly denuded scalp. “Next”

Billy hopped into the chair and said “ I want a number something with short sides. I just want a haircut like Joey’s”

“Sorry Billy, Mom said you have just get a trim” interjected Rebecca.

At this Billy started pitching a tantrum. He hollered and screamed and got out of the chair saying if he couldn’t get the haircut he wanted, he wouldn’t get a haircut. Rebecca didn’t know what to do and gave Stephanie a quizzical look to which Stephanie replied, “You don’t have much of a choice.” Rebecca gave permission for Billy to get the same haircut Joey had just gotten.

That night Rebecca expected her Mom to be furious, but she was she controlled real well. So it seemed that the matter passed without any negative reaction from her Mom. But three weeks later Janet unexplicably took a day off work. “It appears that you weren’t able to handle your responsibility with Billy’s haircut. So I’ll have to handle the matter myself. With his hair being so short, it looks shaggy in a very short time.” Rebecca was curious whether this would affect her pay. It wouldn’t but she still needed to be taught a lesson.

When Joey arrived the whole group, including Stephanie and Rebecca’s Mom, Janet, headed for the barbershop. It didn’t seem that it took as long this time. Again Joey was first in the chair. He got the same haircut as last time, but didn’t have nearly as much hair to cut off. Then Billy was in the chair. To Rebecca’s surprise, she allowed him to get the same haircut. After Billy’s haircut was finished, the boys and Rebecca and Stephanie started to leave. “Wait!” commanded Janet. “We still have one more haircut to go.”

Stephanie and Rebecca were confused at this last statement. What other haircut? Who’s getting a haircut?

“Rebecca, you didn’t fulfill your duty to your brother and me” said Rebecca’s Mom, Janet. “Even though I pay for the haircuts and am paying you to carry out my wishes in this regard, you were strong enough to stand up to your brother’s tantrum. If you had been strong enough, he would be facing punishment. In the real world, you would have been fired. But I’m your mother and this isn’t the real world. But you will be taught a lesson you won’t soon forget. Now get in the chair.”

Rebecca had only rarely seen her mother this angry and this determined. She quickly got the chair without comment. The barber must have been a bit intimidated by Janet also. He quickly wrapped the tissue and cap around Rebecca. And timidly asked Janet, not Rebecca. “How do you want it cut?”

“What was the haircut you gave the boys?”

“A number 4 flattop with a number 2 taper.”

“So a number 2 is shorter than a number 4?” The barber shook his head yes in reply. Rebecca’s Mom ponder for a moment and this said, “Ok, give her a number 2 flattop with a number zero taper. I guess there’s a such thing as a number zero?”

“Yes, there is a number zero” replied the barber. “But that’s a very short haircut you asked for, a good deal shorter than the one I gave the boys. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

Rebecca replied with a definite yes. Poor Rebecca knees were shacking and bottom lip quivering, but she didn’t utter a word of protest. She was too afraid to. The barber pulled Rebecca’s beautiful blond hair back into a pony tail, grabbed the scissors and whacked hair leaving Rebecca hair length at between a chin length and ear length bob. It appeared that he had whacked out about a foot of hair, maybe more. He then put the number 2 guard on the clippers and brought them to side of her face just below the ear. This way, if when the mother wanted to change her mind when she saw how short the cut would actually be, he could salvage some length. So he applied the clippers to her left sideburn leaving nothing but one-quarter stubble in it wake. Soon the clippers travel around the ear and down the backside. Then they seem to rest at the back for a moment. But all too soon they emerged on the other side mowing down that hair to stubble. Finally the clippers stopped, Rebecca started to reach her hand from under the cape to explore the damage, but was too afraid. She thought at least it’s over. She had huge disproportionate mop of hair on top of her head and only quarter inch stubble on the sides. In a few seconds the clippers roared back to life as the barber guided them over the top of head from the her forehead to crown of her head to meet the already tonsured stubble at the back of her head. To Rebecca it seemed like an eternity as the clippers keep chopping away a the hair on the top of her head. But finally they came to a rest.

“At last” thought Rebecca. “He’s finished.” But the barber was merely removing the attachment. He turned the clippers on again and this time aimed them at her left temple. She jumped slight when she felt the cold metal blades again bare scalp. The barber moved the clippers in circular path around Rebecca’s head and then ran them over all hair beneath the circle.

Stephanie mouth had flow wide open in shock and horror. Poor Rebecca was practically bald. She only had a fourth inch of hair on top of her head and the sides were bare skin. The barber looked to Rebecca’s Mom and asked “ Is this what you wanted?’ Janet got up and went to the barber’s chair to inspect Rebecca’s haircut. She felt the haircut. The top felt soft, but the sides felt like sand paper. It seemed liked electricity shot through Rebecca’s body when her Mom felt her denuded head.

“The top’s ok, but the sides seem rough”

“I can fix that” replied the barber as masked a button which produced whirring sound. Then he pulled a hot towel out of an over and placed on the side of Rebecca’s head. She flinched at the head of the towel. “Don’t worry” comforted the barber. “It’ll feel good in a second or two.” And in about 15 seconds it did feel good. In fact the hot towel felt fantastic. Then he took off the towel leaving an almost cold fell to be replaced by something that felt even better. Then the barber took a Mach III and began to shave the side of Rebecca’s head. She knew what was happening. She knew she would have very little hair on top of her head and smooth bald on the sides, but this felt so good she didn’t care. She could tell from Stephanie reaction that she must look awful and even the boys were shocked. But it felt so good she didn’t care. All too soon the haircut was finished. The barber turned her around to the mirror.

There staring back at Rebecca was a person she didn’t even know. She reached to feel her head to see if this were real. When she moved, the figure in the mirror moved. Then felt the top. It was soft. Slowly she moved her fingers to the bare sides and then she felt nothing but skin. All at the same time she was thrilled and was horrorified; was excited and was frightened. She looked cool; she looked hideous.

Rebecca’s Mom paid the barber and couch Rebecca “Haircut’s over. Let’s go.” Then looking the barber “You did a good job. How soon do you we need to return to keep their haircut looking sharp?’

“For the boys, 3 weeks. But for the young lady, a week, not more than 2 weeks.”

“Sounds good. We’ll see you next week.

As they walked home, Rebecca’s Mom said “Rebecca, I hope you can handle this without me having to take out from work. Next week when you go for your haircut, you can take Billy and Joey with you. But remember they get number 4 flattop and you get the number 2 with smooth sides.”

Rebecca didn’t say anything, only shook her yes and kept walking. Stephanie didn’t know what to say.

Look for the next episode Rebecca, Part 2 Adjusting to Her New Do

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